The South Portland A-26 Invader crash was the worst aviation accident in

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

history. It occurred in the historic Brick Hill neighborhood of South Portland. On July 11, 1944, a A-26B-5 Invader of the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

struck the ground during a foggy day. It cartwheeled through a government-operated

trailer park A trailer park,caravan park, mobile home park, mobile home community or manufactured home community is a temporary or permanent area for mobile homes and travel trailers. Advantages include low cost compared to other housing, and quick and ea ...

, starting a fire. The aircraft's pilot and navigator were killed. In the trailer park, 17 residents were killed and 20 residents were injured.

Background

Phillip "Phee" Russell had played basketball, baseball, and football at South Portland High School before graduating in 1939 to attend the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a public land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. It is classifie ...

. Russell married his high school classmate and sweetheart in June, 1943. He was commissioned a

Second Lieutenant the same month and became a flight instructor at

Barksdale Field Barksdale may refer to: Places * Barksdale, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Barksdale, Texas, an unincorporated community * Barksdale, Wisconsin, a town ** Barksdale (community), Wisconsin, an unincorporated community *Barksdale Air Forc ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. A year later, Russell received permission to visit his wife and 3-month-old daughter in South Portland as part of a long-range training mission.

July 11, 1944

Russell's family and friends gathered at the Portland airport to await his arrival in patchy heavy fog. The airport officially closed at 1635 because of the fog. Six minutes later, his family reportedly heard Russell's voice requesting landing instructions on the airport radio, and saw his A-26B-5 Invader appear briefly out of the fog at an estimated altitude of 200 feet. The airport instructed Russell to climb to 1500 feet, and the plane disappeared into the fog. Waiting for a radio response from Russell, airport observers saw flames and heard crash noises from the direction in which the plane had disappeared. The aircraft struck the ground and cartwheeled through a government-operated

housing families of shipyard workers at the

New England Shipbuilding Corporation The New England Shipbuilding Corporation was a shipyard located in the city of South Portland, Maine, United States. The yard originated as two separate entities, the Todd-Bath Iron Shipbuilding Corporation and the South Portland Shipbuilding C ...

. Sixteen trailers were destroyed by fire and a dozen more damaged by pieces of the disintegrating airplane. Seventeen trailer-park residents died, and twenty more were injured. The bodies of Russell and his navigator, Staff Sergeant Wallace Mifflin, were found in the trailer-park wreckage.

Memorial

66 years later, the Long Creek Air Tragedy Memorial was erected to commemorate the crash and honor the victims. A similar memorial on Deer Mountain, 100 miles to the north, marks the site of Maine's second-worst plane crash. Through coincidence, both crashes occurred on the same day. The granite for the Long Creek memorial came from a quarry in

Wells, Maine Wells is a resort town in York County, Maine, United States. Founded in 1643, it is the third-oldest town in Maine. The population was 11,314 at the 2020 census. Wells Beach is a popular summer destination. History The Abenaki Indians call ...

, the same quarry that supplied granite for the

Tomb of the Unknowns The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a historic monument dedicated to deceased U.S. service members whose remains have not been identified. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, United States. The World War I "Unknown" is a re ...

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

References

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in the 1940s 1944 in Maine 1944 in military history Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1944 July 1944 events Buildings and structures in South Portland, Maine Monuments and memorials in Maine Aviation accidents and incidents in Maine Accidents and incidents involving military aircraft United States Army Air Forces